Hell's Edge
by Woven Gossamer
Summary: All's well in the Fairy Tail guild...until a curse that could destroy everything Lucy has ever known and loved has been released by the Dark Guild "Hell's Edge", led by the powerful Dark Wizard Garamon. As corruption of the human spirit rises in the guilds, Natsu and Lucy could be the ones destined to save Fairy Tail...and possibly the world.
1. Accuations

**Author's Note;**

**Wow! It's been a while. I'm adding one more chapter to 'How To Raise a Child' before discontinuing it. I have too many things on my plate to be dealing with that story. (Sorry!) My computer broke down, too, so I've had to get it fixed and it took a while, so that's another reason it's been so long. I have so many fics to write! Anyhow, enjoy the story!**

"Don't be stupid," Lucy's high voice snarled angrily at Grey, who was sitting across the table, smirking nonchalantly, "I do not! Th-that's ridiculous, I mean, come on I-"

"Say no more," Grey replied, pushing his hands against the table to stand up, "That's all I need to know." He rolled his eyes. Lucy gritted her teeth to keep from screaming in frustration. Was she really that easy to see through? Grey looked at her expectantly for a moment before joining Juvia at the table not far away. Lucy glanced around.

The guild was filled with wizards, talking and laughing at their tables. She looked at Natsu. He was doing some sort cross between a dance and a gag over the table, Happy at his side. Elfman and Shadow Gear sat around him, laughing at his antics. Lucy looked away, Her face turning a rose color. She thought about Grey's accusations. He had just recently confessed to Juvia about his feelings, and, after endless teasing of Natsu, was finally going on jobs with her. She glanced at him now. He laughed and kissed Juvia on the cheek before standing up and ripping a job of the board that was not far from their table. He pointed at something on the paper and Juvia nodded. They then stood up and walked out the door.

"Hey!" Lucy jumped at a voice in her ear. She turned to find herself nose to nose with Natsu, staring into his deep black eyes. They sparkled with mischief, the light of the guild dancing like flames. She gasped and fell off her stool groping at the rough wood of the table. Natsu looked down at her for a moment before laughing.

"I scared you!" He laughed again, sitting against the table. Lucy sucked in a breath. She stood up, scowling at him furiously as she brushed her skirt off. He put his hands on his hips, laughing. His spiky, salmon colored hair tossed slightly as he chuckled.

"Not funny," She grumbled, "It's rude to sneak up on people." He laughed again then sighed,

"Here." He swooped out a piece of paper from behind him and handed it to her. She looked it over, running her chocolate eyes over the paper.

"Job wanted, defeat the Vulcan...1000 Jewel. Not bad. When do we leave?" Natsu stood up, shoving the paper into his vest and exclaimed,

"Now!"

"What?"

"Right now!" He turned and began to run out of the door.

"WAIT!" Lucy yelled after him and ran, glancing around at the guild. Natsu turned, grinning. Lucy ducked away to hide her blush, her shimmering, golden hair falling in front of her face.

"We haven't packed or anything! We can't just-" Natsu then held out a bag.

"I packed it for you."

"WHAT?! HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY STUFF?!" Natsu looked up at the ceiling

"Um...I went in through the window." His voice raised as if in a question. Lucy's jaw dropped.

"You-you-"

"LET'S GO!" He shouted suddenly.

"AYE!" Happy screamed along with him, his magic wings shimmering.

Lucy looked at him, her eyes wide. He laughed, giving her a thumbs up.

"Let's go!"

********************************************************************************************************_ In the dark reaches of Dagger's Peak, a plot is being formed. One that could and will destroy the guilds. _

_ "Master," A voice called in the darkness. A hunched wizard stepped out of the shadows, his lips pulled back in a gruesome smile, "The plan is complete. By the time the guilds ever find out of our plans, they will be nothing but rubble." A shadow at the far side of the throne room shifted slightly._

_ "And the Dragon Slayer?"_

_ "He is not a threat. We will disable him without using much power."_

_ "Good. When we are done with the guilds, we will rule this land."_


	2. Vulcan, Swords, and Pervy Cows

"You're going down, monkey!" Natsu ducked under the Vulcan's swinging tail, and threw a punch at it's stomach, wincing as his knuckles popped in the the Vulcan's rock hard gullet.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He yelled, his fist exploding into dazzling flames as he punched it blow hit home, causing an explosion of flames to light up the forest. The Vulcan was thrown backward, hard into a giant oak tree. He stood up, his eyes red with fury, his lips curled back to show sharp teeth as he roared,

"COME TO ME, MY SWEET!" Natsu blinked.

"What…"

"I think he means me." Lucy spoke up. "And by the way, monkey butt, I am NOT your 'sweet'. Ya got that?" The Vulcan looked outraged.

"YOU CHOOSE THAT PINK HAIRED SCUM BAG OVER ME?" The Vulcan howled.

"Well," Natsu flashed a smile, " I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about, but I do know that now is the perfect time to use my new weapons!" After rolling her eyes at Natsu's ignorance, Lucy let the 'new weapons' part of his speech sink in, and looked at him in surprise.

"New weapons?" Natsu held one hand up into the sky and shouted,

"Iron Swords of the Fire Dragon; Wing Attack!" Curls of fire danced in his palm, then shot upwards. The fire twisted into long, flickering rods, then curved into points. It danced quickly once more before hardening into crimson swords, that fell from the mid air, each one caught and held in place by the gap between each of Natsu's fingers on his right hand. He stood up on one leg, his arm without the swords held tensely at his side, the hand holding the swords held out to the air. He grinned at Lucy's expression, then faced the large, ape looking-monster.

"Where did you get that?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes wide. Natsu glanced her way and winked, causing her to look at the ground and blush, studying the patterns that the sun caused on the ground interestedly. He held the fan of swords out to the Vulcan.

"With my new attack, you don't stand a chance." The Vulcan snarled in return, then, with a flick of it's tail, it flew across the ground toward Natsu, the brambles under his feet snapping and crackling.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled, "Watch out!" Natsu narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, the swords held out in front of him. He raised and jumped into the air.

"Fire Dragon Iron Wing; Flame Attack!" The swords lit up in a single, merciless flame. Natsu brought it down on the Vulcan's back as it ran under his leap. The Vulcan screamed and stumbled forward. Natsu gave another heavy blow to the Vulcan's chest as it turned around, causing it to trip and stumble. Natsu gave two jumps backward before the Vulcan could retalliate.

"Lucy!" He yelled in her direction.

"Right!" She pulled from her small wallet full of gate keys a golden held it up to the sky and yelled,

"Gate of the Golden Bull I open thee!" She slashed the key across the air, "Taurus!" In a large puff of purple smoke, the giant, muscular cow appeared, his face contorted in a snarl.

"Destroy that over-grown ape!" She commanded. Taurus lifted his heavy battle axe, and ran forward, mooing,

"As you command, oh Queen of the Lovely Body!" Natsu looked at Lucy quizzically and she sighed, shrugging. The Vulcan scrambled to get away, but was rained upon with heavy blows.

"Time for me me to finish it off!" Natsu grinned. He lifted his swords and ran forward.

"Fire Dragon Iron Wing, Flaming Rain!" He jumped off of his running start and, yelling, brought the now flaming swords heavy across the Vulcan's broad back. Taurus jumped backward as Lucy closed off the Celestial Gate, causing him to vanish. The Vulcan's face grew surprised and angry as Natsu finished it off. As Natsu's flaming swords came down on the Vulcan's shoulders, a giant explosion of flames blew Lucy backward. She gasped as she hit the ground, bouncing slightly against the grass. She lifted her head, standing up. Each of her bones screamed in protest. Around her, the trees were scorched and crumbling with ash. She rubbed her eyes. And loomed around furiously for Natsu. She spotted him on the ground and stomped up to him.

"WHAT was that? She snarled, "You almost had us killed!" Natsu stood up slowly.

"But I didn't." He shrugged. Lucy opened her mouth for a harsh reply, then noticed that Natsu was pointing at something.

"Vulcan possess humans to live. The person that one possessed is over there." He pointed to a body lying in the grass. Lucy rushed over to him.

"Did you kill him?" Natsu walked over.

"Look." He nudged the man's arm with is boot." A tattoo of flames was stamped on his shoulder. Lucy gasped.

"Isn't the sign for..."

"Hell's Edge." Natsu grimaced, "The most powerful Dark Guild in the Dark Guild society." Lucy let the mans body drop and covered her mouth with her hand. As his body hit the grass, his eyes shot open and he coughed a single word before crumbling into dust.

"Malisist."


	3. Explanation

"...and then he just crumbled into dust." Natsu finished in a low voice. The Fairy Tail members had gathered around him and Lucy to hear their story, their eyes wide.

"Natsu?" Natsu and Lucy turned toward the voice. It was Levy McGarden. Her eyebrows met in a V and she crossed her arms.

"Where was Happy that whole time?" She asked, disapprovingly. Natsu waved his hand in dismissal.

"He was in the village evacuating villagers, just in case the fight moved out of the forest and into their village." Levy nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Aye!" The blue cat agreed from his perch on Natsu's shoulder, "A dangerous job, too! Some villagers didn't believe me and they threw rocks and-" There was then a voice on the other side of the guild,

"I have a question." Everyone turned to see Makarov sitting cross-legged on the heavy wooden counter next to Mira-jane. He took a sip of the tea in his hand and then spoke,

"How did you know that the Vulcan was actually a Hell's Edge member in disguise before you destroyed him?" Natsu blinked, looking up at the ceiling to remember,

"Well, he did have that flame looking mark on his arm." Lucy's jaw dropped.

"SERIOUSLY! You at least could have told me! I would have gone way harder on it if I had known that it wasn't some poor, helpless villager!" Natsu looked embarrassed.

"I guess it just...slipped my mind to tell you." He said, biting his lip. Lucy opened her mouth for a harsh reply, but was cut off as Makarov spoke in a firm voice,

"We have no need for an argument. Natsu," He turned to the Salamander, his eyebrows raised, "What did you say the member told you before disappearing?"

"Malisist," Natsu replied. Makarov nodded slowly.

"Interesting."

"What is a Malisist?" Natsu asked. The guild members leaned in, anxious to hear Makarov's reply. He took a sip of his tea before answering,

"A dark element used in the ages of Lost Magics to posses the human spirit. If used properly, it has the power to destroy whole guilds at a time. Unfortunately, there is no known way to stop it." He took another sip of tea. Natsu narrowed his eyes and asked slowly,

"What is a dark guild like Hell's Edge doing with something like that?" Makarov finished the tea and handed the cup to MiraJane. She rushed off to the back of the bar to clean it. He then stood up, his arms crossed.

"I do not know, but in the hands of such a guild, it is extremely dangerous and could quite possibly be aimed at Fairy Tail. And I'm willing to bet that the member you defeated is not dead. The members of Hell's Edge are amazing wizards and would not be thrown off by some hits by those swords." Lucy gasped, putting her hand over her mouth.

' What if we don't defeat Hell's Edge? What then?' She thought, her fright growing as she realized what Makarov meant by 'aimed at Fairy Tail'. She stood up, her eyes glassy with tears. Usually she would be ready to fight at all costs, but a sense of hopelessness overcame determination, and she felt powerless.

"I've gotta go," She managed to choke out and walked to the door of the guild quickly to hide her tears.

Later that night, Lucy sat on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chin. Her whole conversation with Fairy Tail danced in her head, and she felt tears run down her face. First, her unreturned feelings for Natsu and now...this? It was way more than she could chew.

"Hey! PSSST!"

"Aye! PSSSST!" Voices resounded from the window. Lucy turned, snapping her head to face the intruders.

"Natsu? Happy? What the hell do you think you're doing here?" She leapt off her bed, angrily shoving tears away from her face.

"Well," Natsu climbed in from the window, closely followed by Happy, "You looked sad, so we decided to visit. And tell you a story." Natsu looked proud until he was slapped across the face.

"Ow! If you didn't want the story, you could have just said so." Lucy crossed her arms.

"I think it that it was sweet of you to come, but it doesn't mean that things like sneaking into other peoples houses go unpunished. Now. Sit." She pointed to her bed. Natsu rubbed his cheek, looking at her with disdain, but sat on the bed anyway. Happy perched on his shoulder, snickering and the red handprint that was beginning to form.

"Well," Natsu began, "You are probably wondering where I got my swords. The truth is, Erza gave them to me. Apparently, she had bought them for re-equipping, but they were special Dragon Slayer swords, made to match the Dragon Slayer's magic. And now they are mine. The end." He then fell back on the bed, snoring.

"Aye!" Happy agreed, and also went to sleep, right there, on Lucy's bed. She rolled her eyes and raised a hand to wake them up, but thought better, and dropped it to her side. She looked at the two and sighed, leaning against her desk and closing her eyes. The last thing she thought was,

_That was the worst story I've ever heard. _

"_Master, the Malisist is ready."_

"_Good. Now all we need is a blood offering." The shadow looked at the hunched wizard interestedly._

"_If I remember correctly, you said that the Dragon Slayer was not a problem." The wizard nodded._

"_Then we will use him as an offering. His magic power should be enough to power Malisist." The hunched wizard nodded once again.  
"We will find him and use him, without doubt."_


	4. A Story

**Authors Note:**

**HEYYYYY! Man it's been a while! I've had writer's block and I didn't know what to write. WELL! I don't have writer's block anymore so yay! I'll be updating more often now so enjoy!**

It wasn't long before Lucy felt a hand roughly shaking her shoulder.

"Luuuuucy," she heard a stage whisper in her ear, "Luuuuuuucy wake up!" Lucy groaned, blinking her eyes open, and turned up her face, only to find herself nose to nose with a pink haired Dragon Slayer. She blinked, staring into his dark eyes for a moment before jumping away, her face turning a bright red. Natsu looked at her smugly and blinked twice. Lucy scowled at him, dazed still from waking up so late at night. She pushed her golden hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ears.

"Why did you wake me up?" She snarled, glancing at the clock the adorned her wall the looking out her window. The sky was dark and stars glowed, diamonds in a dark velvet. Natsu sat criss cross on the floor, staring up at her almost in an inquiring way.

"I can't go to sleep." he told her.

"Then go home." Lucy sighed, resting her head on a hand. Natsu ignored the comment and turned his eyes to the window. Lucy looked around and spotted Happy, snoring softly on her pillow. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Natsu.

"Well?" He turned his eyes back at Lucy.

"I need a story," he informed her. She blinked and sat on the bed, breathing in.

"What story do you want to hear?" she sighed. She had thought about protesting but, knowing Natsu, she would probably have to tell him a story or he would never fall asleep.

"Your choice." Natsu replied. Lucy nodded, looking back on the stories her mother used to tell her when she was little.

"How about the one about the sleeping princess?" She suggested. Natsu shrugged, tugging on his muffler,

"Never heard it." Lucy raised her eyebrows. Still half asleep, the fact that Natsu hadn't heard such a common fairy tale did not surprise her half as much as it probably should have. She yawned.

"Okay, then how about I tell it to you?" Natsu, obviously trying not to look too excited, nodded,

"Sure." Lucy tapped her bottom lip with a finger, trying to remember the story,

"Once upon a time, in a castle in a distant land, there lived a princess. The princess's father, the king, had tried to get her to marry and continue his reign, however, the princess hated all of her suitors, so she refused to marry any of them.

"One day, an evil queen offered her son as a husband for the princess. When the princess refused, the queen became angry and decided that if the princess did not love her son, then she would not love anyone. Knowing the princess was not in love, she cast a spell on her. The princess fell into a deep sleep, only to be woken by the kiss of her true love. The king fell into despair, not knowing how to wake his daughter up. He did not suspect the evil queen. Instead, he sent his daughter to rest in the enchanted forest under a gazebo.

"The king's daughter rested for nine months. Later, however, on a beautiful spring day, a handsome prince rode to the gazebo in the woods. upon seeing the princess, he opened her case and kissed her. The princess's eyes opened and, upon seeing the prince, she knew they were destined for each other. Together, the princess and the prince ruled over the land with justice and peace. And they all lived happily ever after." Lucy finished her story with a sigh, obviously tired. She rubbed her chocolate colored eyes and looked at Natsu. During the story, he had laid down on her bed next to her, and was now sleeping peacefully. Lucy smiled warmly, and before she could convince herself out of it, she laid down next to him, closing her eyes and drifting asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.


	5. Good Morning!

Lucy yawned, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes. Pushing her hair out of her face, she felt something warm next to her and touched it, confused, but she didn't look down. Instead, she moved her hand farther up until she felt skin. She looked down, surprised to see herself stroking Natsu's face as he slept next to her. Her eyes widened and she pulled her hand away, blushing fiercely. She remembered the events that had taken place that night, and pushed herself out of bed. She looked down at herself, only to realize she hadn't changed out of her clothes from the day before. Sighing, she walked to the mirror and frowned at her reflection, trying without avail to fix her hair.

Lucy walked to the bathroom and peeled off her hot clothes, stepping into the bath and running the water.

"Ah," she sighed, "A bath is really what I needed this whole time." She murmured to herself. During the bath, she thought about what had happened that night and sighed again. Obviously, she was half asleep at the time, or she would have sent Natsu and Happy both home.

After her bath, Lucy changed into a pink tank-top and green mini skirt. She walked to the mirror and dragged a brush through the tangled, golden locks. when it was brushed, she pushed a side piece of it into a ponytail and tied it with a green ribbon, so it hung proudly over her long hair. From her bed, she heard a rustling noise and she turned, her bobby pins still in her teeth. The salmon-haired Salamander blinked blearily and looked at her with glazed eyes. She looked back at him, slightly irritated.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she said in a slightly mocking tone, "Have a nice night?" He nodded, oblivious to her irritation. He looked over at Happy and poked him. Happy sat up as well and stretched. Lucy rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror.

"WELL!" Lucy jumped at the sound of Natsu's voice, wide awake as ever. She wondered where all that energy came from.

"Let's go, Lucy!" Natsu grabbed her hand. She yanked it away, scowling.

"Not until after breakfast." She instructed. Happy and Natsu stared at her.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" He cried.

"Aye!" Happy agreed, "Breakfast!"

"Well?" Natsu demanded, "What's for breakfast?" Lucy turned her attention away from the mirror and let her hands drop to her sides from her hair.

"Well," Lucy said, "I didn't have any time to prepare anything, so I guess we have to have breakfast at the guild." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "But you're paying for it." Natsu and Happy, blinded to prices at the idea of food, nodded vigorously. Lucy smiled, forgiving the pair almost instantly for crashing at her place.

As Lucy and Natsu walked together out into the street (with Happy flying not that far behind), Natsu turned to Lucy, grinning. Lucy blinked,

"What?"

"For telling me that story last night. It was really good."

"Oh that?" Lucy shook her head, "I probably butchered it like crazy." Natsu smiled, turning back to the street.

"I liked it. Isn't that the point?" Lucy looked at him, surprised for a moment, then smiled,

"Yeah."

"_Sir,' the hunched magician said, "The Dragon Slayer is in sight." The dark figure nodded,_

_ "Good. And?" The magician smiled._

_ "The Fairy Tail guild is completely under our control." _


	6. An Attack From the Devil

Lucy and Natsu pushed open the doors of the Fairy Tail guild hall together. Wizards were sitting everywhere, talking and laughing at one another. Spotting Grey, Natsu took no hesitation as he rushed over to the ice mage who was sitting at a table not far from job board, and was talking to Mirajane.

"So,Perverted Frostbite Breath" Natsu snarled, "anything new happening?" Grey stood up and Mira stepped away, laughing.

"Nothing a Flame-Barfing Lizard Face wouldn't approve of," he growled back. Lucy, not wanting to stick around to hear the rest of the boys' quarrel, walked up to the counter that served as a bar and sat down.

"Hey Mira!" She called, "Can I have an egg omelet?" Mira's voice floated back,

"Coming right up!' Lucy heard her stomach groan, and she sighed. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Mira came back with a platter balanced precariously on her hand. Her long, white hair blew away from the porcelain skin of her face. Her rose-colored dress fluttered gracefully as she walked in, as though she had appeared as an angel.

Setting the platter down in front of Lucy pushing it toward her, she smiled, picking up a dirty glass and began to scrub it with a dish towel. As Lucy ate, she turned and smiled. Lucy looked up,

"What?" Mira shook her head.

"Well," she replied, almost in a laughing tone, "I saw you and Natsu walk in together." She raised her eyebrows, smiled mischievously, and then went back to cleaning. Lucy nearly choked on her omelet.

"No! No it's not what you think!" She sputtered, grabbing a glass of water and swallowing it down. Mira nodded politely, then leaned in.

"It's okay," she whispered, "you can tell me anything."

"There is nothing to tell," Lucy said, turning down her face to hide a blush. Trying to ignore Mira and her ridiculous accusations, Lucy focused instead on the each fiber of the wood in front of her. Mira smiled once again and said in an almost sing-song voice,

"if you insist." Lucy finished her omelet quickly and stood up, slapping some jewl on the table before walking to the job board. On her way there, she looked over to see Natsu, sitting on a table. This was not new, but a crowd of guild members were crowded around him, listening eagerly. To her surprise, she heard the words, "the queen became angry," and "cast a spell". Natsu was telling the story of the sleeping princess? She blinked and then turned, startled, when she heard a voice in her ear say,

"Most of them have no parents." It was Makarov. He did not look at Lucy but instead kept looking at Natsu. "They did not have mothers to tell them stories like this one. It is good that they finally get to hear one." The old man turned to Lucy, then nodded to Natsu and the others.

"Listen." He instructed. Lucy listened.

"The end," Natsu finished. The guild clapped. Levy, from her perch on Gajeel's shoulders, called down,

"That was great! But where did you hear it?" Natsu laughed.

"Lucy told it to me last night! Isn't great? It's my favorite story!" Lucy felt tears come to her eyes as she recognized the powerful impact she had on the guild just by telling one story. Makarov stood up and Lucy walked over to Natsu.

"Nice," she said. Natsu turned and grinned. Lucy turned to Grey.

"Did you like the story?" Grey nodded.

"Yeah," he said, "I really-" his voice drifted away suddenly as the whole guild grew quiet. Lucy blinked in surprise.

"Uh, hello? Grey? Um..." she stepped away from the dark-haired ice mage and felt herself run into someone else. She turned to see Erza, staring into the distance.

"Erza?" Lucy called. She turned to Natsu. He was on his feet and was looking around, suspiciously. Everyone in the guild had blank stares on their faces and were dead silent.

"Natsu? What's going on?" Lucy asked, her voice rising in desperation. Natsu's eyes

"Malisist," he snarled. Lucy shook her head.

"If it was Malisist, then why aren't we being controlled?" She asked. There was a streak of color in Lucy's vision and she turned to see Happy fly down from the counter and shoot towards Natsu.

"Natsu," he said softly, "something's wrong with Carla." His voice was frightened. Natsu touched Happy's head.

"Hell's Edge is obviously behind this." Natsu growled, clenching his fists. Lucy held a hand to her mouth. Happy looked confused. Natsu began to walk out the guild door. Lucy rushed up to his and grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" She cried. Natsu turned. His face was cold and determined.

"To the Hell's Edge guild hall," he turned back around. Lucy gasped and then decided her next move.

"I..." she studdered, "I'm coming with you.


	7. Argument

**Author's Note:**

**HECK YEAH! To make up for my 3 months of writer's block, I am posting up a storm! Expect this fic to be finished in a few short days! Try to keep up! ;)**

Natsu didn't speak. This was new, after all, he was the chatter box of Fairy Tail. But his face, as solid and expressional as a rock, he trudged on through the streets of Magnolia, speeding past the houses and apartment building. He even crashed head on into a watermelon booth, the giant fruit spilling across the alleyway. Lucy and Happy could barely keep up.

"Natsu?" Lucy power walked up to the Dragon Slayer as the Magnolia train station neared. Natsu didn't even look her way but replied with a brisk,

"What?" Lucy spoke softly,

"Well, I…" she didn't quite know how to ask, "Um...what are we going to do, exactly, once we get to Hell's Edge guild hall? They are the most powerful dark guild after all and we only have 2 people on our team plus a flying cat. We don't-"

"Would you just shut up?" Natsu cut her off angrily, still not turning her way. Lucy, a stung by his harsh reply, fell back to avoid him.

"Well that was rude," she sulked to Happy. Happy shrugged.

"Well, he does feel passionately about his friends safety," Happy said.

"Yeah, I know," Lucy grumbled, "but he doesn't have a plan or anything, yet he expects to barge in there with one other person and a cat, to the most powerful dark guild that has the power to control, and possibly destroy, human souls. It just doesn't make any sense!" She threw up her hands in anguish.

"Well you know Natsu," Happy replied looking the Dragon Slayer, "He never ever makes a plan. But it all works out in the end, right?"

"Barely," Lucy grumbled. She was one for logic, and Natsu logic just didn't make sense at all.

When the trio reached the train station, Natsu stormed up to the ticket registration office. Lucy, knowing that Natsu in his current state probably wasn't the right person to order tickets. Ignoring his huge scoul when she shoved him to the side, she looked at the ticket women and smiled broadly.

"I need two adult tickets and one child ticket, please," she said as pleasantly as she could, a facade of content masking the angry and confused feelings underneath. While the ticket women turned in her office to get the tickets, Lucy looked around the train station. It was a large pavilion with a tiled floor and an upper and lower floor. The ticket lady worked in a booth that was built into a wall. She came back and pushed the golden strips of paper that served as tickets toward Lucy.

"Ma'am," she said in a tinny voice, "that'll be 3,000 jewel." Lucy sulked as she pulled out the money.

"Happy and Natsu owe me," she growled. Natsu looked at her angrily.

"What the hell?" He snarled, "Why did you push me?" Lucy gave him a huge scoul.

"I had a right. Maybe if you weren't in such a lousy mood, I wouldn't have done it."

"You would be in a lousy mood too if your friends were being controlled by a dark guild!"

"They are my friends too! And I think this sucks and I wish they were back to normal, but at least I try to hide my feelings!"

"Why would I do that!?"

"So you don't take out your anger on other people!"

"I'm not!"

"Yeah you are!"

By now, the pair were yelling at eachother. Happy made shushing noises and moved his paws in a quieting manner, but the quarreling only got louder. Passerbys gave them dirty looks and whispered things like,

"Obviously they don't get along. Why don't they just break up already?" and

"Kids these days." Happy could barely stand it anymore. He held his paws to his ears and gritted his teeth. When they didn't stop, he flew in the middle of them and pushed both of his paws onto their mouths.

"Shut up," he hissed, "you're making fools out of yourselves." Lucy turned away, biting her bottom lip. Natsu bared his sharp teeth.

"We're gonna miss our train if you don't hurry up," Happy exclaimed, "Come on!"


	8. Death's Ally

**Author's Note:**

**That's right! we are drawing nearer and nearer to the thrilling climax! Thanks for your loyalty, folks! Glad to see you all reading! :D**

The train sped faster and faster down the railroad. Lucy looked out the window, having nothing better to do. Even if Natsu was awake, she still wouldn't talk to him, however, so she was trapped to merely looking around. The world outside the window looked like someone had painted a nice picture on the canvas, then taken a dishrag and smeared it while the paint was still wet. This was because Natsu had insisted they take the high-speed train to get to the town quicker. Lucy turned to Happy, who was staring intently out the window as though he was looking for something. She laughed.

"Oh, Happy," she said, "you won't find anything at this speed! Everything is so blurry!" Happy turned to her.

"I think I'll be able to spot Death's Ally, even at this speed," he assured her. Lucy tilted her head, confused.

"Death's Ally?"

"The town Hell's Edge is in," Happy explained, "The train doesn't stop there, so we're gonna have to jump." He turned back to the window. Lucy's brown eyes widened in shock.

"JUMP!?" She screeched. All eyes on the train turned towards her and she blushed furiously, looking down. Happy sighed.

"Yeah, Lucy, jump," he said mischievously and blew up his cheeks with air, "and Natsu will catch you." Lucy glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She growled. Happy just giggled and looked to the window. Lucy rolled her eyes, but felt her stomach twist at the thought of jumping out the window of a high-speed train. However, she had done crazier things in her life and she trusted Happy. Oh yeah, and she trusted Natsu, even if she was pissed with him at the moment.

The train didn't slow down, but Happy then smashed his paw against the window.

"THERE! THERE! DEATH'S ALLY!" He shouted. Train-goers stared at the little blue cat, scowling at being interrupted. Happy, showing no humiliation, shook Natsu as hard as he could. "Natsu! Natsu wake up!" Natsu groaned, running a hand through his spiky, salmon colored hair. "Naaaatsu!" Happy was getting desperate, "we're at Death's Ally! Hurry or we won't be able to jump off in time!" Lucy looked slightly worried. So Happy was serious about jumping off the train. Oh lordie.

Natsu was suddenly alert, and he held on to the bottom of the window and yanked. The window stuckfast.

"It's not going to open," Lucy sighed, "this is a high-speed train. The windows aren't going to open no matter how hard you pull." Natsu's eyes widened with desperation.

"WE NEED TO GET OFF THE TRAAaain..." his voice died away and he doubled over, clutching his stomach. Happy turned to Lucy, looking worried. Lucy looked around for something she could use to break the window. Looking down, she dug around under the seat and found what she was looking for. A nail. Yanking the hammer used to break open the fire safety box (there was one in every aisle) towards her, she put the tip of the nail against the glass and tapped the head with the hammer. The glass cracked, and with a sharp kick from her high heeled boot, it shattered, the pieces flying down behind the train. Wind blew furiously through the broken window, and peoples papers were flying everywhere. Lucy's hair whipped around in the wind. She screamed over the wind,

"Push Natsu out!" Happy nodded and, with the aid of Lucy, shoved him out the window. He flew backwards, and Happy dove after him. Lucy shut her eyes tight and jumped. Her hair whipped out of her face and she felt the train come dangerously close to running into her. As she flew through the air, she already imagined the pain, hitting the ground and breaking every bone in her body. She curled up in a ball, expecting impact, but instead felt herself hit something warm and soft. She looked to see Natsu's face, his eyes clenched shut as he feet pushed against the ground. When he finally stopped moving backwards, he opened his eyes.

"N-Natsu..." Lucy stuttered. Natsu set her down.

"I recovered pretty quickly, so when Happy told me that you were about to jump of the train, I prepared myself to catch you." He dusted himself off. Lucy noticed the deep rut he had made in the dry, cracked ground from the impact of her body against his. She looked around the town. It looked barren. There were no other towns near it, and there was a canyon just behind a giant mountain. Dark storm clouds circled in the distance above the mountain, and Natsu turned to face them.

"There," he told her, pointing, "that's where the guild hall is." Lucy nodded and then looked around.

"Where is Happy?" She asked.

"Here!" Lucy heard the blue cat's high voice and watched as he flew from behind Natsu. Lucy smiled.

"Thank you Happy and-" she turned to see Natsu running in the direction of the guild hall. "NATSU!" Lucy yelled, "COME BACK!" She began to run as well, faster and faster, literally into the mouth of Hell.


	9. Stormwind Fist

For Happy's own safety (even though he protested heartily) Lucy sent him to keep watch just outside the town. When she finally caught up to Natsu, he was staring at the massive guild hall before him. The huge black fortress was built out of the side of a mountain. At the mountain's acme, a circle of dark clouds swirled in the sky, crackling with lightning. Natsu clenched his fists, flames erupting around them. Lucy moved her hand to the wallet that held her gate keys. Natsu took a step forward, but a dark voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Not so fast." From the shadows stepped three figures. The one in the middle had black, tousled hair. His eyes were a deep red and his skin was pale. He wore black skinny jeans with a black shirt. Covering him was a black cloak. A silver chain hung at his hip. He had his hands sullenly in his pockets. The one on the left had incredibly pale skin. Her dress was tight at her torso, then billowed out behind her. The sleeves were long and the dress shimmered like stardust, while the train and sleeves were transparent. She had long, white hair that fell to her legs and was wearing light heels. Though her figure was perfect, but the two most striking things about her were the giant, feathered wings that sprouted from her back, and her ice-blue eyes that stared at Lucy and Natsu coldly.

The last one had long, curled, light blonde hair. Her face was hidden in the shadows of a giant, light green, flamboyant hat. She wore a light green riding coat and green leggings, her tall riding boots coming up to her knees. There was a small rose in her pocket and a large one tucked on her hat.

"Who are you?" snarled Natsu. The flames at his fists lit up to punctuate. The dark one spoke.

"We are Stormwind Fist, Guardians of the Hell's Edge guild hall. I am called Shade. This is Iris," he gestured to the one in the riding jacket, "and Artemis," he held his hand to the one with wings. Artemis spoke next, her voice beautiful and melotic,

"We suspected Fairy Tail flies would come here. It works out perfectly since the Dragon Slayer came along." Natsu raised his fist and growled,

"I don't care who you are, but you will live to pay for what you've done to our guild!" Before Lucy could stop him, he charged forward, the fire flaring up. Shade calmly lifted his arm, and a jet of shadow knocked Natsu to the side. Lucy called to him and ran to where he hit the ground. She helped him off the ground, and he muttered,

"Thanks." Shade looked at them, his expression amused.

"Easy prey is no fun," he said, "how about this. I'll allow each a battle with my comrades, when it's not your turn, you can sit and watch the fight. If one of you win against at least one of them, you will fight me for your entrance into the guild hall." Natsu grinned.

"Sounds just fine," he agreed. Shade raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," he said, "if you are so excited, you can go first and you," he turned to Lucy. She felt strangely vulnerable under his stare.

"You will sit and watch." he finished. Before Lucy could find out what he meant, she felt cold ribbons twist tight around her legs. A dark, smoke-like substance had twisted around her arms, preventing her moving.

"Lucy!" Natsu pulled one of her arms, but it was no use. Lucy kicked him.

"That hurts!" Natsu turned to Shade, his face turned from competitive to angry

"If you hurt her…" Shade shook his head.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Shade assured him. Natsu gave him a hard look, and then he turned back to Lucy.

"Don't worry," he told her, touching her face gently, "I'm going to win this." Lucy nodded.

"Be careful. They don't look trustworthy at all." Natsu touched his forehead to hers briefly before turning and pointing to the woman with wings.

"You. I'll fight you." The woman, Artemis, stepped forward. she smiled coldly.

"If you insist." Lucy gulped, knowing that Artemis was no doubt a powerful wizard. Natsu clenched his fists and flew forward, his whole body bursting into flames. Artemis unfolded her wings to the full span.

And Lucy closed her eyes.


	10. Natsu vs Artemis

Natsu attacked Artemis first, throwing a blow to her stomach. Artemis lept into the air, her wings shimmering, and Natsu fell forward, his punch getting him nowhere. She raised her hand to the heavens spoke casually.

"Gate of the Heavens: Moonlight Sphere." From her hand came a ball of bright moonlight. She held her hand out towards Natsu. A silver magic circle appeared around the ball, and she flicked her wrist out. The ball came whizzing towards Natsu. He braced himself, then sent a flaming punch toward it. Instead of hitting it as he planned, his fist passed through it. In a burst of light, he was thrown backwards, hitting the ground hard.

Lucy writhed, gritting her teeth and fighting the shadows. Artemis innocently tilted her head in Lucy's direction.

"Ah. So that's how you feel about this. Well then,"She smiled and turned back towards the crater where Natsu had hit the ground, "Let's continue the show. After all, your screams sound like the music of the angels to me." As Natsu stood up, she lifted her hand. His body was raised into the air. She flicked her wrist down, and Natsu hit the cracked ground again. Lucy whimpered.

"Natsu!" she whispered to herself, "Natsu hang in there!" Natsu raised his head weakly from the ground and pushed his arms to get up. Leaning to the side, he stood, facing Artemis. She raised an eyebrow and lowered herself to the ground.

"It's a surprise you're still living after that attack. But no matter. Your friend here here hasn't had enough." She held out her hand as though welcoming him towards her, then spoke softly,

"Stars of the Heavens. Judge him and decide his fate." From her fingertips came a magic circle. From it shot small, golden orbs. They came quickly. Before Natsu could dodge, one clipped him hard in the arm. Blood splattered to the ground. Another one clipped his cheek and his legs, tearing through the fabric to hit the skin beneath. Lucy screamed in horror as her friend was torn apart, bit by bit. Tears ran down her cheeks as she sobbed,

"Natsu! I believe in you! Fight back!" She yelled. Natsu toppled to the ground again. Lucy was sobbing as she watched the fight. When she looked up, Shade was looking smugly at the fight while Iris was smiling slightly. Lucy fought, kicking at her nearly invisible bonds. Natsu, hearing her screams, fought his way up slowly. Without warning, he sprang forward.

"STOP HURTING LUCY!" He roared. Artemis's face turned from calm to angry as Lucy felt a feeling she hadn't ever felt before. Natsu's fist passed eight by Artemis as she flapped her wings, dodging the attack. Fire erupted from his feet propelling him back around. Artemis turned as well.

"Why don't you just DIE ALREADY?" She snarled. Natsu sucked in a breath, inflating his stomach, then blew out.

"ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" Flames spewed from him mouth hitting Artemis squarely in the face. Blown backwards, she regained her balance by flapping her wings. She put her hands together and held them out. A burst of light erupted and flew towards Natsu. Lucy screamed as the light enveloped him. Artemis laughed as the light died turned to Lucy, whose face was filled with frozen shock.

"Oh don't look like that, he didn't stand a chance in the first pla-" she was then knocked to the ground. Natsu stood over her, looking furious. Artemis's eyes were filled with shock. She then looked away.

"Go on. Kill me. This was a fight to the death after all. But even so, I don't count on you defeating Shade." She then squeezed her eyes, waiting for the incoming blow. Natsu stared down at her, then raised his hand. It flamed up and he slapped her so hard, the sound ringed across the broken valley.

"That was for hurting my friends and this," he slapped her again with his flaming hand, "is for making Lucy cry. But I'm not going to kill you. I'm not like you." He then walked up to Shade.

"Let Lucy go." Shade nodded and Lucy was dropped to the ground, hard. Before she had time to get to Natsu, he was swept up in similar shackles. Lucy reached out her hand towards him, but Iris stepped to block her way.

"My turn."


End file.
